Was this all a mistake by the soon-to-be former featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria? Here’s what we are talking about in case you didn’t know? ‘La Leyenda’ relinquished his 145 lb gold to move up to the lightweight division. However, it has been quite a few days, and his fate remains uncertain. Why? Well, that’s because Ilia Topuria has straight out stated that he would like to gamble his zero against the lightweight king, Islam Makhachev. However, Team Khabib has made it clear that Ilia Topuria will only get a title shot if he first defeats a top contender. However, Topuria has firmly stated that he has no interest in fighting anyone except Islam Makhachev. With the 155-pound division in a state of uncertainty, Henry Cejudo has stepped in to pour cold water on the idea of a Topuria vs. Makhachev dream fight.

After knocking out both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria is looking to breach the Dagestani wall as well. The Georgian-Spanish fighter has emphasized that he would be the first person to dethrone the champ Islam Makhachev; however, with Team Khabib’s reluctance to give him the fight, his fate looms in darkness. The MMA community is hoping that Dana White will book their fight for International Fight Week. However, Henry Cejudo has urged fans to “smell the coffee” and face reality.

While having a conversation with Mike Bohn on ‘The BOHNFIRE,’ Henry Cejudo was asked about the fate of the Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria fight, to which the former dual weight champion emphasized that Makhachev’s fate will be determined by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is not keen on giving Ilia Topuria a chance at the belt at least for now, “I remember talking to Khabib, and Khabib said, he’s like, “It’s not fair for Ilia to skip the line and go after a title shot with Islam because that’s all Islam has been doing. He gave Volkanovski a couple of times that he has gone up, so I don’t even think it’s gonna be Islam’s choice,” said Henry Cejudo.

He further added, “I think Khabib’s gonna step in and be like, ‘He needs to fight the number one contender.’ And he said if Ilia does beat the number one contender, then sure, we’ll do that. So I personally think that Islam will fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. There’s a quote of him at the PI that says that. But I think the person who’s more likely to play backup is gonna be Khabib Nurmagomedov. He’s gonna say no. So for that reason, I’m guessing it’s gonna be Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachev for International Fight Week.”

According to Henry Cejudo, the UFC will be booking the Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachev fight at the International Fight Week. After winning his bout against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313, ‘The Highlight’ called out to the UFC to give him another chance to fight for the belt. “I won 3 out of my last 4, only losing in an exhibition fight. I have to fight for the belt. @danawhite I am ready.” And it appears that the UFC will bend to his demands now.

Islam Makhachev has no reason to fight Ilia Topuria at the moment, as he is focused on becoming a double champion. The lightweight titleholder has been actively defending his belt and has one clear demand for the UFC CEO: to grant him a shot at another championship before he vacates his title, paving the way for Usman Nurmagomedov. Well, Henry Cejudo believes that Makhachev will be taking on Gaethje in the future, but Robert Whittaker would beg to differ.

Robert Whittaker backs Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria in the future

Think about it—why would anyone leave their UFC gold and move up a division without a promise from the top brass of that division? If we look at the situation from this perspective, everything changes drastically. According to Topuria, the UFC promised that he would fight for the lightweight belt if he relinquished the featherweight belt. “The only thing I’m sure of is that the UFC’s word is that my next fight will be for the world title. That’s all I know. The belt will be on the line,” said La Leyenda.

Ilia Topuria is promised a title shot, but Team Khabib is not willing to give him the chance, so what’s next? In the midst of the dilemma, Robert Whittaker has come forward to emphasise that Topuria deserves the title shot: “I don’t know what was promised or anything, but I feel like if you’re in a lower division and you vacate the title, you should go straight to the top of the pecking order. Title shot or, contender[ship bout]… I’d like to see him go straight into a title shot. Understandably, it can be tricky that way because there are a lot of guys. Like styles make fights, so if the champion of a lighter division has a better style to beat the guy in the higher division, where’s the fairness of that?”

Robert Whittaker knows a thing or two about losing a title, and while his analogy is purely emotional, it still makes sense. Given that Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are dominating the headlines, the UFC booking a fight between them wouldn’t be out of the question. So, what are your thoughts on the entire fiasco? State your opinion in the comments below.